r/Archery • u/Familiar_Challenge_9 • 1d ago
Form check?
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Just curious if I can get a form check. I think I'm doing something wrong with my form and it's affecting my shots. They're not a hundred percent consistent downrange at 20 yards, and i'm new to archery, so any help is appreciated. For context my draw length is 29 and the bow is at about 60lbs .
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u/Specialist_General27 Traditional 1d ago
Draw length too short, way too much bend in bow arm, never draw back with arrow pointing in the sky, if you knock your release you’ll send an arrow in a direction that you don’t want it going… I also can’t see much of a solid face anchor with your draw hand? It’s just kinda floating by your cheek which will be inconsistent and is probably a product of your draw being atleast 2 inches too short.
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u/funermen 1d ago
As a non Archer currently. I can tell you don't draw to the sky.
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u/Tesladudeguy 1d ago
I second to that. Misfire and the arrow is hitting someone or something .
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u/Asleep-Individual476 1d ago
I did an indoor winter league at the local shop and saw someone shoot the ceiling doing this
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u/R_Weebs 1d ago
Enough going on I’d recommend getting an in person lesson before you hurt yourself
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u/KesselRunIn14 1d ago edited 1d ago
Agreed, there's pretty much nothing correct here. OP needs to get some lessons or at a minimum go to a shop (I sincerely hope the bow wasn't purchased at a reputable shop) before they hurt themselves or others.
OP, genuinely, you will hurt yourself drawing like this. It's not a matter of if, but when.
Also, wear shoes. I can't tell what arrows you're shooting but heavy aluminium ones could quite easily stick in your foot if you drop one.
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u/matttrout10 1d ago
Stop shooting that bow asap till you can get it sized cause when u do get it sized it gonna feel a lot different so go to a shop.
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u/MelviN-8 1d ago
Please get a coach or at least look at some form video on YT, almost all aspects of your form should be reworked.
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u/True-Worldliness-645 1d ago
A lot of good feedback in the comments already. Aside from safety, if you plan to hunt then learning to draw with less movement is definitely a boon. Especially if you are on the ground instead of a stand.
One thing to help with dialing in your form and getting the proper muscles engaged is lower the draw weight if you can. Sky draw can also be a symptom of too high a draw weight because you’re trying to fight with the bow. Lower weight will help develop a smoother draw then you can increase the weight as you build up the muscles and form. So many people go too high with draw weight when they start. While higher weight does make for straighter flight that assumes good form and the ability to handle that weight. Some get hung up on the machismo of higher draw weight but you’re building finesse and technique here, not smashing boulders.
The other thing I’d hazard to guess is you’re trying to micromanage the shot after you draw, leading to long holding times. From what I remember, if you’re holding more than 5 seconds, let down, let the muscles reset, then draw again. The longer you hold, the more fatigue starts to affect the shot. So holding longer to control everything for a bullseye is actually hurting your accuracy.
That, combined with the trigger punch, may suggest you’re experiencing “target panic,” which is when you try to get everything on target (the long hold) then it all lines up and your brain goes, “SHOOT NOW!” It seems like that would help but it actually hurts your accuracy.
Good on you for opening yourself up to feedback. That can be a hard thing to do.
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u/logicjab 1d ago
1) never pull with the arrow pointed higher than the target, ESPECIALLY with compound bows. It’s not hard to send that arrow WELL over 100 yards at that angle
2) your bow arm is bent too much, meaning your draw is probably too short
3) this is just me, but I’d try to get it so the string is touching the tip of your nose. I’m no Mike Schlosser, but I’ve always found that makes me way more consistent
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u/Rocky_Mountain_Rider 1d ago
Most things have been touched, but I will add that you shouldn’t shoot with your bow hand fingers extended. It’s good practice to leave them extended while you’re drawing because it will settle the bow into your palm with the least amount of torque. Once drawn, lightly close your bow hand so your finger tips at making contact with the front of your grip. This will also prevent losing a finger when you start shooting broadheads.
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u/skark_burmer 1d ago
Another vote to keep the arrow horizontal when drawing.
Is your bow too small? You seem cramped and full draw.
Source: internet expert because I own a bow. :p if you don’t like my advice I offer a full refund.
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u/DullAlbatross08 1d ago
Your gonna shoot your index finger off one day
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u/kotarak-71 1d ago
yeah... god forbid he shoots a broadhead like this.. there will be a dozen stiches on his index finger
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u/byteme4188 1d ago
Take that bow to an archery shop get remeasured, and drop the poundage.
The draw length is too short and if you have to point the bow to sky to draw it back that generally means it's too heavy. You should NEVER pull the bow this way. It should always be level and you should have enough power to draw it straight back. If you draw like that and God forbid you accidently misfire the bow you will launch that arrow hundreds of yards and it's going to be extremely dangerous. At that poundage you can kill someone if you hit them.
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u/Pingviners_1990 Recurve Archer in the UK - Fivics Vellator, Wiawis NS-G limbs 19h ago
sky drawing and not wearing shoes seems very unsafe
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u/Weak_Bookkeeper_1083 18h ago
I would highly recommend getting a resistance activated release to learn how to shoot a controlled shot. Punching the trigger like you are now is going to lead to some serious target panic down the road.
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u/Back4breakfast 7h ago
Yep - there are a lot of things wrong here, mostly covered by replies but I figured I'd try and bullet point them to make it easy for you to read:
- Sky Drawing - you should never do this in case of accidental release, and you'd be told to come off the line if you were target shooting and doing this. It's likely the poundage of your bow is too high for your strength level and that's why you're drawing like that as you're using your arms to draw rather than your back and scapula. You should draw a bow you can comfortably pull back on in a straight horizontal way.
- Draw Length—Your draw length looks too short. Your left arm has a considerable bend in it when you come to full draw, which will cause inconsistent draws and shots and, therefore, hard grouping. You need to consider either lengthening the draw or shortening your wrist strap. I'd go with the draw length of the bow myself.
- Feet position - you have a very wide position set, and with it being this open, it can result in your twisting too much or not enough and not being consistent with your body position. Consider there is an imaginary line: one foot is one side, and one is the other. You can stand parallel to that, but that can be unnatural to some so you might slightly turn your feet outwards to feel more natural. You need to make sure you're not wide open because that means the trunk of your body would not be turning enough each time to lock in a solid position for consistency.
- Bow Hand - that hand must be relaxed at all times - putting your fingers out or around the bow makes for an inconsistent shot process as you fatigue. You cannot guarantee your fingers will be that straight in those positions every time. At a distance, these little things will be the difference between a 10 to an 8 if target shooting or, if hunting, the difference between a kill shot and a miss. All fingers need to be relaxed as possible, the bow should sit in the hand and stay there because of your draw, not because you're holding it. Your wrist strap will stop you from dropping it.
- Trigger Releases - Triggers are so easy to punch because it feels like a gun. Sadly, a bow is not a gun, and therefore, you need to be using it as an extension rather than a point to get the arrow to fly. You do this by wrapping your finger around the trigger, then your back tension and extension by rolling the shoulder backwards makes the arrow fly. Back tension releases will help you practice this to give you better consistency. For hunting, triggers are generally the preferred option, but you need to get practice in using the back muscles to fire rather than your finger.
- Post-release: You drop your shoulder after release, and it's more likely it drops before the arrow has left, though I can't really slow it down to check. Again, this is a consistency thing and will help you be more accurate, so try and keep that arm up post-release for at least 3-4 seconds and then drop it. It's just something I've learned over several years at this.
Hope this helps - lots of common things to work on to be better and it will take around 1000 arrows to hone these things to being good - I've spent several years working on them!
Best regards
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u/Familiar_Challenge_9 1d ago
My bow is a full size bow. It's a blackout intrigue xst. I might have measured wrong.Maybe my drawing is too short. I will take everything you guys have said into consideration. I will make sure I get some lessons before I shoot next. I understand the safety concerns and will make that correction. The only saving grace in this instance is that there is nothing but open feild behind my target.
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u/FluffleMyRuffles Olympic Recurve/Cats/Target Compound 1d ago
For how far though? A compound bow can launch an arrow extremely far in the range of ~400 yards if shot like how you did.
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u/iHelpNewPainters 3h ago
You might have measured wrong? How did you get your measurement? Your draw looks short. Your arm is quite bent, which is indicative of being short. When it's fully drawn, does it feel jumpy or solid? It should not be jumpy and shouldn't feel like you can let it down without any resistance. It doesn't appear that you have a good anchor either. I'd suggest getting the nock of the arrow to the corner of your mouth and keep it there. You can also buy a kisser button that will assist you with a constant anchor.
You said you have a 29" draw - the Intrigue should accommodate your draw, since it goes up to 31". Check your cams to see if both are set to 29" and check to see if there is a string stop. The string stop also needs to be set to the draw length as the bow cams.
Does that make sense, and do you know what I'm telling you to do? If not, I can clarify more.
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u/Familiar_Challenge_9 3h ago
I understand what you're saying.The unfortunate circumstances of work is.I'm out on the road and I can't get back to my bow until the weekend to clarify and double check things. So any progress updates on this Guys will have to wait till this weekend
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u/f1abblergasted 1d ago
You’re mostly drawing with your arm, rather than your back. As someone mentioned, don’t sky draw. Start with the bow slightly above your shoulders and draw by pinching your shoulder blades as you settle into your holding position, and you could start with your bow arm slightly more bent and then extending it with the draw to create additional counter pressure
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u/PhilosopherUsed44 1d ago
Why do bow nerds have to be so dramatic about it. Knock the arrow and pull the string. What is all this pointing to heaven and staring for 2 minutes nonsense.
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u/--Muther-- 1d ago
Holy fucking sky draw Batman.
Your gonna kill someone in the next town over. No point looking at the rest as that is so wrong to begin with.
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u/christmas_gator 1d ago
You're doing what's called a sky draw, where you point your bow up during the draw cycle. It's prohibited by most archery ranges because of the potential to hit someone beyond your target if you accidentally release.
If you're doing that, it usually means you're pulling too much weight or drawing with your shoulders/arms instead of your back.
Check this out starting at about 5:20 for proper form
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u/Specialist_General27 Traditional 1d ago
Just watched again, 2 other things I would say, slow down the draw cycle, draw back gently and in full control try not to snatch the draw so much as it throws your fundamental balance and stance off before you’ve even started, anchor your feet, set your hips, align your shoulders and then lift the bow to the target… then draw back keeping everything else nice and square.
Also don’t punch the trigger so much, wrap your finger over the trigger and then pull back from your elbow and pull through the release, you’re doing a lot of snatchy movements throughout the whole process and snatchy movements can never be repeatable, if you want consistency you first need to master control, slow is smooth and all that
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u/dbpirate29 1d ago
As others stated, your draw length looks a little short. You’ve got a lot of front arm bend. Lengthening the draw will allow you to straighten that out more and stack the load on your bones rather than muscle. Muscle will fatigue faster.
Secondly, you’re drawing with your bicep. That’s why your arrow goes up during the draw cycle. If you bring that back elbow up and pull through your back, It will allow you to keep the arrow down during your draw. You might also find that your draw weight is too high. Most people who draw low with their bicep are pulling too much weight. Pulling with your bicep is easier for most people but you’d be better off pulling with your back. Those muscles are bigger than your arms.
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u/HumanQuality7524 1d ago
The tip of your nose need to be touching your string not past it. Also why are doing a sky draw like that? You should draw straight back if you have to draw like that your poundage is too high.
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u/zqpmz585 Recurve Takedown 1d ago
As much as people are pointing out flaws, im proud of you for even being confident enough to post in a public place AND you seem very open to the feedback!
Everyone pretty much said what i would say. i saw that you are going to your local shop and are going to get your bow and form checked out!
Keep it up though! Learning proper form is the first step of your archery journey 😁 Excited to see what you look like after getting it all checked out
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u/Jerms2001 1d ago
People saying your draw is too short don’t really know anything. You can’t tell if your draw is too short. You need to push that bow arm out. It’s why people think your draw is too short but they aren’t taking into account your anchor is also too far back
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u/Familiar_Challenge_9 1d ago
I'm not going to shoot again until I get in some lessons, and i'm going to my local archery shop and i'm going to have them verify my bow is set up correctly for me. I don't mind if I have to buy new arrows, big adjustments in form are obviously needed. I will invest time and money into making my form better.Thank you guys so much.
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u/Jerms2001 1d ago
Honestly, your shoulders are naturally down. You’re fine to shoot and get that form dialed in on your own. Shoulders not being compressed basically eliminates all of your potential for injury. Just gotta straighten out that bow arm. You’ll know if your draw is too short once you do that
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u/Familiar_Challenge_9 1d ago
Do you think it would be a good idea for me to take What people have told me, watch a few videos. Make the adjustments and try to shoot a little bit and repost the video of my form after it has been adjusted?
Also, am I understanding you correctly that My shoulders look fine?
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u/Jerms2001 1d ago
Your shoulders look fine. Could relax that bow arm shoulder a tad more. I had very similar form to you when I started out. Just watching YouTube videos and practicing on my own, I was able to get dialed in.
Your draw itself might cause you issues at some point. Too much bicep. I’ll link you some videos that helped me
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u/JCambs 1d ago
I can't tell if this is deliberate rage bait. There's so much wrong here.
Do shops allow you to buy a bow without demonstrating any competence or sizing it to the customer?
I really recommend you stop shooting until you get your equipment set up correctly and learn the fundamentals of how to stand and draw a bow.
And NEVER begin drawing any bow with an arrow above horizontal. This is called a sky draw and is extremely dangerous.
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u/Familiar_Challenge_9 1d ago
Not deliberate rage bait. To answer your question, i did have it sized and shot at bass pro, but apparently, I was shown wrong. The purpose of this post was to fix my form and make it better or in this case proper and safe. Thanks for your concern.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/Mindless_List_2676 1d ago
Firstly, there's nothing to do with this post. He ask for a form check, not asking what bow type you like.
Secondly, if compound is that easy, go and win a world cup stage. not much required anyway, just hit 10 every arrow at 50m.6
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u/[deleted] 1d ago
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